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.... He said he hadn't seen the various types in one place since he was a child... .

The last time we had an emergence of 17-yr cicadas around here, I noticed that there seemed to be an unusual abundance of butterflies of all types-- maybe the ubiquitous cicadas diverted the feeding attentions of birds away from caterpillars?

Long Island may be experiencing some "stragglers" (early or late emergers) from Brood VII or X. Could that account for your increased butterfly population, in addition to your kind attention to providing habitat? Did you notice many cicadas? [Maybe they were there but got eaten? ]

I read about the milkweed-monarch connection back in March and so this year I planted a bunch of milkweed in my garden. I did get a good number of monarchs, though I think it was mostly 2-3 individuals who kept coming back to my yard.

One thing I noticed was, the monarchs definitely preferred these pink milkweeds I planted (forget what the name of the variety was, they get pretty tall). The other milkweeds didn't get nearly as much attention. Anybody else notice a preference like that?

I read about the milkweed-monarch connection back in March and so this year I planted a bunch of milkweed in my garden. I did get a good number of monarchs, though I think it was mostly 2-3 individuals who kept coming back to my yard.

One thing I noticed was, the monarchs definitely preferred these pink milkweeds I planted (forget what the name of the variety was, they get pretty tall). The other milkweeds didn't get nearly as much attention. Anybody else notice a preference like that?

Very happy to hear you are doing your part JB 007!

Asclepias incarnata aka Swamp milkweed is what that plant probably is, and yes it really draws them in. What you need to watch is which type of milkweed they prefer to lay their eggs on. In many cases they will choose a younger growth milkweed for its tender leaves. Or if they do lay eggs on an older plant, many times the cat will climb down to find a preferable plant. Also, once the monarchs have found your yard, and like what they smell, a signal will be sent thru pheromones in the air, which will bring in more the following year. Don't forget to plant nectar plants for them also. They need a good food source, which will bring the males in first.

Thanks LIcenter. In addition to the milkweed I planted a whole bunch of other flowers (mostly wildflower type flowers) plus I've got a rose garden started so by next year there should be plenty for them to eat.

Thanks LIcenter. In addition to the milkweed I planted a whole bunch of other flowers (mostly wildflower type flowers) plus I've got a rose garden started so by next year there should be plenty for them to eat.

Sounds like you are on your way! Myself, and Mother Nature's critters wish you all the best.

It looks as if the Monarch migration has begun here on Long Island. Not sure if I mentioned it here, but my workplace is right in the path of a monarch flyway. For the past few days I've noticed, roughly every eight to tens mins. a monarch passes thru. I find it amazing how each and everyone of them follows the exact same path as the previous one. This is when I cut all the milkweeds down so they will concentrate on nectar only plants instead of wasting energy on laying eggs that will not survive. Anyone else seeing this in your area?

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChiGeekGuest

I'm on Long Island as well, last weekend I was speaking to my next door neighbor who's somewhat of an expert on butterflies & I drew his attention to the two bunches of montauk daisies I have in my yard & he went & got his daughter to come see the butterflies that were very gently & gracefully 'congregating' about ~ I have to ask him again about the types he & she pointed out to me. He said he hadn't seen the various types in one place since he was a child. I really like to see them & I was glad he called his daughter out to see them too. I have other plants they seem to like also but the Montauk daisies are in full bloom right now & they last a long time.

Quote:

Originally Posted by LIcenter

I'm gonna hazard a guess, and say they were Painted Ladies. They are usually pretty scarce on LI, but for some reason this year has brought an explosion of them. I think I read somewhere the high amount of rain we had this year was very favorable for them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChiGeekGuest

You're right! They identified Painted Ladies & another type or two, I'll ask him again ~ sure he'll remember. I'm also gonna give him some of the daisies & other plantings that attract butterflies for him to plant in his yard. I'll come back to tell you what the others were.

Also wanted to mention that the monarch migration at your place of work sounds wonderful ~ I'd immensely enjoy seeing that too! Fascinating, thanks for sharing.

Quote:

Originally Posted by LIcenter

Looking forward to what he has to say. Possibly Black swallowtails, and Tiger swallowtails?

As far as the monarch migration; I kept saying to myself; why are there so many monarchs in an industrial complex? As I watched more closely, it all came together. It really is awesome to see with ones own eyes.

Sorry it took me so long to get back to this ~ I didn't see my neighbor again until yesterday when I was pruning back my montauk daisies. (They're another story ~ still have green buds on them but pruned them back because of the cold ~ happens every year I think?)

We were speaking about the daisies & told him I'd split some off for him in the spring. That reminded me of the butterfly question. He said they were monarchs, painted ladies, red admirals, viceroys, & skippers. All around the daisies & when they were likely the last flowers in my front yard still in bloom.

The last time we had an emergence of 17-yr cicadas around here, I noticed that there seemed to be an unusual abundance of butterflies of all types-- maybe the ubiquitous cicadas diverted the feeding attentions of birds away from caterpillars?

Long Island may be experiencing some "stragglers" (early or late emergers) from Brood VII or X. Could that account for your increased butterfly population, in addition to your kind attention to providing habitat? Did you notice many cicadas? [Maybe they were there but got eaten? ]

Cicada's were minimal this year, almost to the point that there weren't any.

I didn't see any Cicadas this year, don't think of them except in the years they're plentiful, their unique noises clue me in before I actually see them.

Those butterflies did seem to be 'stragglers' of some kind though? It was strange & beautiful to see them all together in one place. Of course, I didn't take any photos though hopefully maybe hopefully next year? (At least I only lost one pair of sunglasses doing yard work this year.)

Sorry it took me so long to get back to this ~ I didn't see my neighbor again until yesterday when I was pruning back my montauk daisies. (They're another story ~ still have green buds on them but pruned them back because of the cold ~ happens every year I think?)

We were speaking about the daisies & told him I'd split some off for him in the spring. That reminded me of the butterfly question. He said they were monarchs, painted ladies, red admirals, viceroys, & skippers. All around the daisies & when they were likely the last flowers in my front yard still in bloom.

It really was an exceptional year (butterfly wise) for us on Long Island. Fingers crossed next year will follow suit.

Did anyone else notice a huge amount of crickets this year? Tons of baby crickets, yet not so much chirping and not one got in the house? It was odd.

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